This thread will be for my first planted tank. I already got all the stuff to get this done except co2. Equipment: 29g tank with hood, t8 light, big bag of Eco complete, root tabs, dwarf hair grass, bacopa, aquatop cf400-Uv canister filter, 29g wood stand. Tomorrow I'm going to get the stand built and by the night it should be ready to plant. I been reading for months about this stuff now it's time for hands on. I welcome any tips to help me have a nice planted tank. Maybe a nice piece of drift wood in the middle with some moss growing off it like a tree. I'm going for that carpet look maybe some tall grass toward the back.
I had mixed results with my 18" F8 on a 10gal tank. Of course, it was the one that came with the canopy :frown:. Now I have a dual 24" F12 last used in 1990 on there and it's working much better. More expensive to run - 20w x 2 vs. 15w x 1 F8.
Update: The stand is built it was a pain to put together nothing was connecting together right. Got the hood and light put together. Tank is now on the stand. Next i need to put together the filter add eco complete get it planted fill it up with water. Yup it's been a fun day getting mad that nothing was lining up good.
Update: Got the filter put together and it took me a hour to prime the dam thing. Eco complete and plants are in the tank filled it up with water and tetra safe start. Now the heater is warming up the water. Don't worry I will get pics soon.
Eco complete does not have much to it. I just set up a 72g w/ Eco complete and my plants were dying within two days. I added root tabs and I'm dosing a small amount of dry ferts. My plants are flourishing it's been two months, no sign of algae(knock on wood)
Don't forget the background. You say you're going for the carpeted look, ever consider a blue-white background, in addition to some hardscaping/mosses?
Consider getting cories, otos, trumpet and nerite snails to control the new tank diatom and algea blooms and start nutrient/waste management cycle.
Hmmm, you may not have enough plant mass to have a long photoperiod without have an algae explosion.
Just be conservative with the light. It's the driving force.
Because if there is too much light and the plants are not enough to take the nutrients then algae will do it and you will end up with all the plants and other stuff covered in algae. Still, you don't know if you will need co2 for your light intensity.
In other words...
If you have nutrients that can't be used by plants (lack of co2 or too much light), then algae will show up to make up for the amount of photosynthesis that needs to happen in relation with the amount of light/available nutrients.
This is why I advised you to start heavily planted. It even helps the cycle as the plants are covered in biofilm that would inoculate the tank.
Having a planted tank is always working with this balance between light/co2, plans/algae...
i'm not an expert, but i think a single t8 light will not cut if you're going to have dwarf hairgrass. It's probably only good for anubias, crypts, and marimo balls.
I second pejerrey. I have two plant packages in transit to start my new 20 long heavily planted and it was incredibly straight forward and easy to get a lot of plants from fellow hobbyists for dirt cheap. Cant vouch for quality yet but im sure I will be very pleased Fingers crossed.
Excited to see how this tank develops.
WHere did you buy them? What are they?
What is going to happen in the meantime?
I can give you some stem and floating plants if you pay for the shipping ($6) Pm me if interested.
From walmart I think they are aponogeton bulbs and some other kind as well. I've grown them before with no help of light or nothing. Just put some rocks in the tank. I'm going to be out of town for a while but if you p/m me the pics probably when I get back that can happen.
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